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I am just starting my second week of school. I would have sent an update last week, but it was quite uneventful because it was really just introducing the classes. I am enjoying it so far, and have made lots of friends, and feel very comfortable here. Its a totally different atmosphere here compared to high school and I love it! My body is relaxed and I have almost no anxiety which means my stomach is fine. Also, all my classes but one are in the afternoon and evening which makes me life easier as well. I am really happy with the way things are going, and one of my big worries was that my stomach was going to be terrible and it was going to make the whole school experience torture! I praise God for His faithfulness in making sure everything has gone smoothly.
I have great news from the ministry this week! The women who had been leading our women's bible study stepped down because she has so much to do in her own ministry. I new that it was inevitable since their ministry had been growing so much, but it was a bit sudden and I did not really know what to do. I texted Charity, the Canadian missionary that runs the orphanage where I took vincent and asked her to teach. I new it was a long shot since the women works 18 hours a day 7 days a week, but replied that she would "love love love to!" So on Wednesday she came with all of her boys including Vincent who was very happy to be back in his neighborhood, and led the bible study. She speaks perfect Tagalog and knows what these women go through each day and I new she would be effective, and she was! The mothers loved her and were so touched, and when she was leaving they waited for her at the gate to say good bye and one even hugged her! I have never ever ever seen them so responsive and I was deeply encouraged. Charity said she would come back again this Wednesday and teach, but I am hoping and praying that she will be able to come back every week! Please continue to pray for the mothers ministry! Right now its really making an impact and I saw how much this Sunday! The place was filled with mothers and their kids, and for the first time there was more mothers then youth!
My dream of seeing this community rise up will take both the mothers but also the fathers. We are making real head way with the mothers ministry, but I will be honest to say that we have nothing with the fathers. The biggest issue for us is that only Joshua is a father and old enough to teach them, but he is far to busy to start a ministry to them. I am not to down about this because I know that to get the fathers we need to reach out to the "leader" of the area. Any fathers ministry would be a waste of our time if we dont get that key leader of the neighborhood, so for now I will ask that you please pray that God will prepare that man. That we will see a dramatic and radical conversion in his life, and that he will lead the change in the community for men!
I am very excited about what I am seeing, though its a bit frustrating to know that I will have to focus on my studies instead of ministry, but I know that it was a wise decision. I am already feeling the difference in my life to do with personal schedule. I have always had a weekly schedule but not as organized as being in school and I am actually enjoying it. My roles in the church are really just to make sure the women's ministry is set and to preach once a month. Since I live so close to the church it makes it easy for me to say in touch. Now a big part of what I do is just talking to people and listening and following up. I need to make sure I have a constant and consistent presence in the neighborhood.
As always I just want to thank you all for your prayers and support! I am seeing a slow but steady change in our community, and with me in school each day I am coming a little closer to my dreams!
Brett
I am very excited to say that this Monday I will start school! I am still working on getting my student visa, but I still will be able to start Monday. I have
Our team left on Tuesday for our mid year retreat to a very beautiful place called Puerto Galera until Thursday. It's not to far from Manila and only took a 3 hour bus ride and a boat ride, or as I renamed it the "vomit comet," after a few team members lost their lunch on a very rough ride! We had a wonderful time of relaxing and having fun and was a very good time for the team. We got to see a few sights and swim at some great beaches. I am usually the first to have stomach issues while traveling, but thanks to God I felt great almost the whole time!
I am feeling very much refilled. It was a good break from some of the issues that we had been dealing with here. Last night I was able to have a good chat with Rodel and see how he was doing. He is in one very tough situation, and dealing with some tough family issues. Please pray for him and his family, because it looks like to deal with these issues Rodel will have to be out of the ministry for at least a few months.
The church has been doing well over the past weeks. We had a few hard weeks and I felt like satan was really throwing everything he had at us. Some youth struggled and we were dealing with that persecution from the Catholic church. Now, I am feeling that people are doing better and becoming stronger. We had lost a few youth, but now we have got almost all them back. There is always the issue of finding a new place for the church, and we are continuing our search, but have not had much luck. Please continue praying for that and the church and especially the leadership. With me going to school it will bring new challenges and issues and really push me, so pray that I have strength and wisdom to deal with all the things coming.
Thank you all for your love and prayers!
Brett
Last night I took Vincent to the orphanage where he will be living now. The change seemed to go well because the other boys were busy so he fell right into the swing of things there. They were practicing karate so he went out and joined them. It was almost as if he forgot all about me and just fit right in. Which is good for him, but of course did not make me feel great. I know that when I serve or doing something good to a person I am not just looking for something in return, but the 14 year boy who I clothed, fed and took off the street did not even have one nice thing to say to me. I talked with Charity, the Canadian who runs the orphanage and she said in 9 years not a boy has said thanks. As much as it sucks to be honest, I guess it will keep me grounded and make me remember why I serve. I will make sure to keep visiting him and make sure he is staying out of trouble.
Today I finished my OSLAT exam at bible school and it went well. After I got through the rough math parts it was all smooth from there on. Next week will be the enrollment and this thursday I will meet someone for an interview and I think I will choose my classes then. I am really really excited to go to school, which is a surprising thing for me! I am looking forward to the learning and growing and the new opportunities it will bring for me. I am also happy that I will be able to apply everything I am learning in the church as I go, apposed to four years out of the ministry. The school has great facilities and is right in the business district so everything it right there.
This last Sunday was great! I preached in the morning service which I don't normally do because its for the mothers and they do not speak good english at all. But I went ahead and gave it my best, and it did not look so good. People did not seem to be listening and saw a few heads learning to far forward or back. I was actually discouraged because I thought it went terrible, and the people were half hour late. But after the service I had two people come up and tell me how much they enjoyed it and told what part was their favorite. Then one mother began to share about how she was so happy in our church, and that its always her son who is maybe 5 years old who reminds her to come to church. I was so touched, and after feeling so down it was just what I needed to hear. Sometimes its so frustrating serving the urban poor, but that was one of the beautiful moments. It was so nice to hear because she has 5 kids and is 28 years old, her husband is a alcoholic and after working four days will drink all the money away. I sometimes feel like we are getting no where with this community, but I realized that its really going to take time to get into the peoples lives. One observation new missionaries always have here is that the people in the squatter areas are always smiling and joking and happy though life is pretty rough. For my first 2 years I was fascinated by this, but I realized that in a lot of cases its simply a way or hiding or suppressing their true feelings. I brought that point up at the mothers fellowship/bible study on Wednesday and I had hit the nail on the head. One mom sitting beside me looked at me and the others and said it was very true. So now we are really getting into the lives of the families and are going to be able to hopefully bring some healing and restoration for these people. This is something to please pray for because, again I am in way over my head, but I know that God will do what He has planned.
One other prayer item has come up as well. The squatter community beside the church has been told by the catholic church that they cant come to our church or they will take away the card that gets them free medicine. This has already effected the church and maybe half the mothers don't want to come out because of the fear of losing their card. Its frustrating because the catholic church does nothing at all for these people, and they are in desperate need of God, but they continue to hold them by stuff like this. Please pray that the mothers will still come out, and that this persecution will stop, and God will use this to His glory.
Next week is enrollment, and I am still not sure if I will take on a full load or just do the first semester half time. Please pray for this as well. I was hoping to just go full time to make the process a little quicker, but I am still not sure, but next week I will have a better Idea.
Thank you all for your love support and prayers!
Brett
